You trudge slowly through the thick snow, often stumbling and falling into the frozen cotton. As you exhale deeply from exhaustion, you can see your breath dancing as mist, creating a beautiful smoky effect. You look back to see the deep wound in your leg continuing to gush, leaving you lightheaded from the significant blood loss. You can feel your armor weighing you down and becoming cold with the severe frost. Although your body endures and sifts through so much, your mind is stuck to one thing. Jaime.
You'll never tell him how you truly feel. If you're lucky, he might know in his heart, but you've rarely been blessed in this journey. Your comrades were slaughtered, leaving you the sole survivor. You weren't close to them, they were merely soldiers doing a typical watch run with you, a stroll past the gates and near the river to ensure safety for Winterfell's tenants. You were attacked. White walkers. There were so many. Oathkeeper is the sole reason you're still crawling through the snow. It cut through their frozen flesh like a hot knife with butter, leaving yourself as the only witness to the carnage.
You look down once more to your leg, blood running consistently and aggressively. You press your cold, trembling hand to the wound to help stop it, and it simply runs in rivulets through the gaps in between your fingers. You gasp as you begin to feel an odd warm sensation flowing through you.
That shouldn't be. You're freezing. You had heard of soldiers saying this as their last but of comfort came to them as they drifted into death's grip. You need help now.
You grunt painfully as you force yourself to your feet, beginning to run now. Your legs feel heavier than before as you kick your way along, searching for the gates. They should be relatively close.
You fall once more, this time landing on your injured thigh, sending a sharp, throbbing pain through your body. You scream like a wounded hound, your voice echoing through the open air.
Jaime. Make it for Jaime.
You look down once more to the ground and see maroon patches of wet snow beneath you as you force yourself up once again. You apply pressure to your thigh as you run, beginning to see the top of brown gates in the distance. Podrick should be in the watch tower, gods help him find me if you fall once more, you won't be able to get up again.
You approach closer and you begin waving your arm desperately to get the attention of someone. The ground is becoming uneven, or maybe it just feels that way. You look up to see the brown gates before you swirling every which way. You're very dizzy, your mind stuck in a fog as you stumble your way towards the gates. You're a few feet away from them when your leg gives out completely, sending you collapsing to the snow.
"My lady?!?" You hear a familiar voice above you full of concern. Your squire is looking down upon you in confusion and terror as he calls to you once more.
You try to answer him, but can only find the strength to muster one word.
"Jaime." You whisper desperately, as if saying the word is the only thing keeping you from slipping away from life.
You hear a fish of footsteps and an array of commands. The doors are quickly pushed open and you feel your hair ruffle and your face is cooled by a sudden breeze from the swift movement. More footsteps crunch in the snow as you are shaken from your daze.
"Beauty, you're going to be alri- fuck! What happened to ya?" You can hear Tormund's raspy voice as his eyes find your injured leg.
He looks to you with his wide, frenzied eyes and mouth agape.
"My lady, are you alright?" Pod manages to stutter.
You look towards the blue sky as you whisper, "Jaime," once more into the breeze. Your breath turns to fog as you can hear shouting from the men around you. You can't make out the words they're saying, but it is only a matter of time until you hear a pair of shoes sprinting towards you with soft crunches.
"Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?" The familiar man calls out to the men, desperation evident. His voice is music to your ears, a song you could play in your head forever without growing tired of it.
"Jaime?" You question, your once familiar chant now becoming anxious as you know they called for him to come quickly to you.
A face appears in your field of vision, and you see the golden hair flash before you as you grin.
You touch your trembling hand to his face and caress his cheek once with a grin.
"Jaime..." You affectionately coo.
"The wench is delirious from the cold. We need to get her inside." He commands as he looks to you with a look you have not encountered.
You are suddenly lifted into the air and are being rushed somewhere before you can even process what is happening. Your head bobs up and down from the motion of running, and you look over your right shoulder to see Jaime looking at you intensely, a terrified look chiseled in his features.
"Jaime..." you look to him sadly as he lifts his feet faster.
"Hold on, Brienne. Hold on." He pleads.
"Jaime... I..." You try to form the words before your exhausted body puts a stop to it, "I lo-" you manage before specs of black flurry in your vision, and you can feel an unfamiliar warmth in your muscles.
"I know, Brienne! I do too. Stay with me!" Is the last thing you hear before your eyes drift shut and you shut down.
*
You awaken abruptly to a clanging of dishes and jump from your position. As you surge upwards you can feel a heaviness there, and open your eyes to see layers of blankets upon your naked form.
You're naked? Where are your clothes? They must have taken them off to warm you. Does that mean he saw-
Another crashing sound calls your attention to the young boy, trying to stop another falling glass from a tray. You smile as you realize who it is. Pod.
Suddenly another voice appears.
"Podrick! She's sleeping! Can't you-"
The sound cuts off as the figure looks to you.
His emerald eyes look upon your form with a grin as he sits up from his chair immediately.
"I'm- im sorry ser! I-" pod turns to see you as well.
"Pod, you're alright, you may leave now." You assure him with a warm smile as he returns it gratefully and heads out the door, shutting it carefully.
There is a comfortable silence and a warm vibe as he approaches you slowly.
"You know, wench, you were practically dead when we brought you here... we had toward you up. Of course, the maester suggested skin to skin contact, and I happily obliged." He finishes with a cocky grin.
Your cheeks turn a deep crimson as you realize what he says.
"Surely, you... you didn't-" you stutter embarrassingly as you trip over your words like hurdles as he bursts into laughter.
"Only a joke, wench. Gods, we didn't have to do that, but you were almost dead. You had a nasty cut on your thigh. Almost couldn't save you..." He looks to you with a hurt expression.
"Oh, how would you have managed without your wench!" You cautiously joke with a small smile, hiding your true feelings in case he doesn't share them.
A silence fills the room once again as sadness falls upon his face.
"Do you know what you said to me? Do you remember?" He seriously inquires.
"I'm sure I said many things. You said it yourself that I was in a state of delirium." You carefully answer, keeping an even expression.
"Brienne, do you remember? I do. You said you loved me..." his eyes look to you emotionally as tears form in yours.
"Yes... I remember."
"Did you mean it?"
You look to him with furrowed eyebrows and a worried expression as you shift your head downwards to look away.
"Yes." You whisper softly, refusing to look into his eyes. He can't truly love you back. Not truly. He was probably trying to give you hope to keep you alive. He-
Your thoughts are interrupted as you feel something warm and soft pressing against your forehead. You look up to see his scruffy chin leaning against the tip of your nose as he kisses you chastely. You begin to stutter as you speak.
"Jaime, do you love m-"
You are once again cut off as his lips then attach yours, a hungry, yet relatively tame kiss. You can feel his eyelashes flutter across the tops of your cheeks and you feel yourself smiling into the kiss.
He releases your lips as he leans back to look at you.
"Does that answer your question?" He fakes an innocent loon as you bring your hand once more to his face and smile.
You hear a door swinging open and a surprised "oh" as you turn to see Jon Snow standing in the doorway.
"I, uh, came to check on you... and uh... see if you were awake yet." He shyly admits as he looks at the pair before him.
"Jaime, Sansa requests your presence at a meeting... perhaps we should let Brienne continue her resting." He gives a small smile to the two of you as he closes the door, leaving you two alone again.
"Well, you're a wanted man today." You grin as you caress his cheek softly once more, feeling the stubble against your hand.
"You're right, but there's only one thing that wants me that I care about now." He adds as he kisses your forehead once more and looks into your eyes. "I'll be back with you once the meeting ends. Will you wait for me?"
You sigh deeply and form a sarcastic grin. "I don't know, I have so many things to do today." You motion to your injured leg with a smile as he looks to you once more.
"I love you, Brienne."
"I love you, Jaime."
As he slips out the door your heart flutters. You don't know how it happened, or why the gods decided to bless you with this gift you once thought impossible, but you're elated to feel what you never thought you would.
